LONDON Underground (LU) station cleaners employed by the ISS and Initial privateers on the Jubilee, Northern and Piccadilly lines held a 48-hour turn-of-the-year pay strike on Monday and yesterday.
RMT members working for the two contractors did not turn up for work for two days, from 5.30am on Monday until 5.30am today.
RMT General Secretary Bob Crow said that the cleaners are doing ‘some of the dirtiest jobs’ on minimum pay.
As a group of strikers picketed outside King’s Cross station, in central London, Crow said: ‘It is these same staff who have played a key role in keeping services clean and safe who are now forced again by their employers to take action for a living wage and recognition of their efforts.
‘2013 has to be about equality, inclusiveness and social justice and that’s what our cleaners are standing up for as the spotlight shines on London.’
However, in contrast to the fight of the striking LU workers, the TUC leadership is adopting a cringing corporatist approach to the escalation of the class struggle that 2013 brings.
The TUC has announced that Thatcher’s former minister Heseltine is a key speaker at a TUC conference on industrial policy this month.
It declares: ‘The TUC is delighted to announce Conservative peer Lord Michael Heseltine, Labour peer Lord Andrew Adonis, corporate director Andrew Churchill and the TUC’s Frances O’Grady as speakers at this high profile panel debate on industrial policy.
‘Peggy Hollinger from the Financial Times will chair the event.
‘Lord Heseltine has recently led an independent review of industrial strategy for Government.
‘Lord Adonis is an advisor to Labour’s “Policy Review on Industrial Strategy”, Andrew Churchill is Managing Director of engineering company JJ Churchill Ltd and Peggy Hollinger is Leader Writer at the Financial Times.
‘The debate will consider the need for an active industrial policy, discuss what we can learn from more successful economies and consider the practical measures Government could take now and in the medium term to support key sectors for future sustainable growth.’
Frances O’Grady officially took over the position of TUC General Secretary yesterday.
She welcomed news that Heseltine is to speak in the TUC debate on the economy and said there was much to admire in Heseltine’s report for Chancellor Osborne on the future of local services.
Heseltine’s report proposes that in future provision of local services should be hived off to privateers, charities and ‘voluntary organisations’.
O’Grady said: ‘We share many views. There is a consensus which cuts across party lines and business and union lines.
‘We need workers to have the right skills, there is a strong consensus about the sort of things we need to do to see this happening.
‘There was a lot we welcomed in that report.’
She added: ‘The TUC is still the largest voluntary organisation in Britain.’
